AN ACTOR wrongly branded a killer by confused locals after being in a Crimewatch murder reconstruction has been accused again after the appeal was reshown – 21 years on.

Actor Steve Watson played the part of the suspect in a Crimewatch reconstruction in 1994

Steve Watson portrayed the prime suspect in the murder of mother-of-two Julie Pacey in 1994.

Nursery school worker Julie was found dead in the bathroom of her home in Grantham, Lincs, by her 14-year-old daughter after being sexually assaulted and strangled.

Steve, then aged 31, was picked to play the role because he bore an uncanny resemblance to the police sketch of the wanted man.

The actor, who lived 15 miles from the murder scene, said he was then abused by locals, who mistook him for the killer after the programme was shown.

Now history has repeated itself after the original reconstruction was rescreened as part of a “cold case” review on Crimewatch.

Two people rang police naming Steve, now 53, as the killer – leading detectives to visit his home in Newark, Nottinghamshire.

SWNS

Nursery school worker Julie Pacey was found dead in the bathroom of her home in 1994

Red-faced officers confessed they did not know he had played “the killer” in the reconstruction – but still took a DNA sample, labelling him a “potential suspect”.

More than a month later he says they have yet to eliminate him from their investigation.

Father-of-three Steve said: “As soon as I saw it back on TV I was filled with dread that I might be mistaken for him again. You weren’t supposed to see my face but it was on screen for about two seconds.

As soon as I saw it back on TV I was filled with dread that I might be mistaken for him again